Herd’s surge falls short at Nats

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This article was published 11/03/2024 (923 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A collective surge on the final day of the U Sports track and field championship kept the University of Manitoba Bisons within striking distance for a men’s team banner.

It was not to be, though, as the meet hosts had to settle for second place at James Daly Fieldhouse on Saturday.

The Guelph Gryphons raised its seventh banner in a row after finishing with 89.5 points over the three-day meet, 7.5 marks ahead of the Bisons. Manitoba’s silver medal improved on its bronze from a season ago and was the program’s best finish at a national championship since 1996.

“Since back in the fall, that’s all we’ve been talking about is how realistic of a shot we have at winning,” said Daxx Turner, who contributed a gold medal in men’s triple jump on Saturday.

“Some of the dice didn’t roll in our favour but I’m still incredibly proud of the whole team that we were able to get that close. I don’t think anybody has been that close to Guelph in the last seven years so just the fact that we even gave them a bit of a scare and hopefully showed them what’s to come next.”

The Gryphons also won the women’s team title for a sixth consecutive season, finishing with 115 points, 13 more than the Western Mustangs. The Bison women, though few competing this week, represented the province well with podium visits in two of three events.

After Anna McConnell won silver in shot put on Friday, Lara Denbow struck gold in high jump after clearing 1.78m on Saturday. The Neepawa product, in her first season as a Bison, climbed the podium at the Canada West conference championship last month before winning the national title.

Denbow, 20, found success this season while working back from a stress fracture in her foot that kept her on the shelf for the last two years.

“I was honestly just happy to be back high jumping this whole year, but, obviously, the competitor in me was really hoping to get back to this place by jumping 1.78m and taking good attempts around 1.80m,” said Denbow, who’s top jump set an indoor personal best. “I was just able to prove to myself that I was back but, overall, it’s taken me a long time to get there with the injury and I feel like (because of) all that time on the crutches — the recovery — I feel like I’ve owed this to myself.

“I’ve been working towards it and I’m just so happy to be back competing, back doing what I love and being successful doing it too.”

The men’s push on Day 3 saw gold medals from Turner in triple jump and Tristan Allen in the 600m race, a second-place finish from the 4x400m relay team and a bronze medal from Dawson Mann in the 600m.

Allen (1:17.96), in his final season with the program, became the first Bison to win the 600m race since Byron Goodwin did it in 1997. He and Mann have combined for 24 medals at conference and national championships in the last two years.

Meanwhile, it was Turner’s first national gold in the triple jump after winning the last three Canada West championships. His third leap of 15.82m held up for the win.

“It was a really surreal day,” said Turner, who bounced back after a disappointing ninth-place finish in the high jump event on Friday.

“I’ve got a slew of national medals — I’ve got four bronze and two silver — so I’ve always been in the conversation but never been quite at the top. I’m normally pretty nervous but (Saturday) I had no nerves, wasn’t shaking as much as I normally do, and was actually able to focus and do everything that I could’ve done to help myself jump far.

“It really still hasn’t set in. It’s just really weird to think about but incredibly thankful, nonetheless.”

Bison athletes combined for five gold medals, four silver and two bronze at the national meet.

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

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